Effect of physical activity on the course of inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

The inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) group includes ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD) and microscopic enteritis. In UC, the lesions involve only the large intestine and do not cross the mucosa, while CD can involve any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. Inflammatory bowel disease usually occurs between the ages of 20-30, with another peak incidence in the seventh decade of life. The etiology of inflammatory bowel disease is not fully understood. Diagnosis is made on the basis of clinical evaluation, endoscopic examination with histopathological evaluation and imaging studies. Treatment involves the introduction of an appropriate diet, and pharmacological, biological and surgical treatments are used. The prognosis is inauspicious, with inflammatory lesions often recurring, even after years of remission of the disease. The purpose of this paper is to describe in detail the two most common diseases in the inflammatory bowel disease group, highlighting the differences and similarities between them at the level of lesion localization, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease, due to the accompanying symptoms that make daily activities difficult, are less active than healthy people. There is ample evidence of the beneficial effects of physical activity on quality and length of life. It is recommended to conduct moderate intensity of both endurance and resistance exercises.